Hi - Bye

Hello little ones

I was just popping by to pick up a change of clothes and thought I'd stick my head into the cyberscribe for a peek. Looks like you have all been behaving impeccably. How very dull.

Well, I shan't be lingering I'm afraid, as I still have lots of working ground to cover on one thing or another plus there's an extremely busy week ahead of me, zipping here, there and everywhere. I tell you, lords and ladies, blink and you'll miss me. I also am lead to believe, from the pages of my diary, that I have a zillion deadlines looming around me, so I shall have to be extremely work clever / time smart this week, for sure. 

Well, once again - you know the rules.  But this time, at least give me something to "Oooooooh" at when I get back.

Have fun watching The Oscars but don't eat too much popcorn.  You'll only get a sore stomach again.

Stay true to The Tenacity.

Onwards.

Imperfection

Hello all

Just to let you know I am signing offline for a little while-ette. I have a vast amount of stuff to do and have just received my notes on my film, Perfect, which quite frankly reflect it is far from it's title.

All these online ditherings are too much of a distraction for now. Play nicely people.

Shall see you all on the other side.

;)

Oooh, Hello There

Well hello there, you sweetest little things.

I think I may have been bleating the same mantra for a while now - you know the one? The b-u-s-y mantra? Well, last week and the weekend have proven to be the mere tip of the iceberg, I tell you, but it's all good and that's all we need concern ourselves with, isn't it, sugar?

I started writing some deeply disturbing work a little while ago - really not my usual 'type' of stuff at all which generally tends to be quite disturbing dressed up as something cosy. No, this is deeply disturbing, stripped bare naked. Although it's quite a revelation to be writing like this,  I have no idea where these torrents have come from; but that's enough about that for now otherwise I may have to delete your memory and re-boot.

So my Digital Shorts script, "Perfect", is now with Screen East for comment. I do hope it goes down well as that would be pretty fantabulous, however, I am sure there will still be work to do. It ain't over 'til it's over, and all that, but I have been working on my creative vision for the piece, basically just settling on the final look and feel I would like to create. It's all very, very exciting to be honest and I love it. I'm quite besotted with this film now, which is really weird. I liked it a lot before, but now I is livin', breathin' and eatin' it, man. Tasty.

I have also had a little reminder of looming pre-production for a horror shoot that I'll be co-directing on - it had been put on the back-burner until a more opportune time and so that time will be fast approaching in the Spring/Summer. More about this at a later date, methinks.

Well, other than mentioning the fact I squeezed in a little voiceover jobette this morning, that's all there is to say, then.  

I hope you all had a wonderfully lush weekend of Valentine's squishiness and here's to a super-duper week ahead.

Onwards sweeties. Always onwards.

The Week That Now Was

Well hello there, you little bundles of fun.

It's been a busy week - there's no denying that.  

Having only just vaguely recovered from the brain drain exhaustion that was due to the exceptionally brilliant Digital Shorts training last week, I then launched a full attack on my project in general - resulting in a much tighter incarnation of "Perfect".  I am really very much liking this one. This one feels good and we're on target. Nice. Love it. Bloody superb.  

I have also had quite a few meetings to run through various ideas for cast, crew and general logistics. Everyone needs a wonderful Producer, I tell you. (But I have to say that, right?) Arf. ;) 

So, all in all a totally knackering week - which, of course, included a fellow scribey drinkie session. As usual, a great night had by all and it was lovely to catch up with the usual suspects Arnopp, Beckley, Barron, Campbell, Colgan, Lemon, Perry & Turner. I even met some lovely new suspects this time too, which was all very exciting as they hadn't heard any of my shit before. Fantabulous, I tell you.

Have a super weekend all. 

And the BAFTA goes to...

Music

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat

THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard

MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman

WALL•E – Thomas Newman

Sound

CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudlof

THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo

QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor

SLUMDOG MILLIONARE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp

WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

Production Design

CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day

Make Up & Hair

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan

THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King

THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald

FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio

MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White

Cinematography

CHANGELING – Tom Stern

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda

THE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister

THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Adapted Screenplay

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth

FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan

THE READER – David Hare

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy

The Carl Foreman Award

(for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film)

SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire

JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!

GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow

STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger

SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema

PINEWOOD STUDIOS AND SHEPPERTON STUDIOS

Original Screenplay

BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

CHANGELING – Joe Michael Straczynski

I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel

IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh

MILK – Dustin Lance Black

Costume Design

CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West

THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming

THE DUCHESS – Michael O'Connor

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky

Film Not in the English Language

THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernd Eichinger, Uli Edel

GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel

PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud

WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahlieli, Ari Folman

Outstanding British Film

MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh

HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson

IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh

Supporting Actress

AMY ADAMS – Doubt

PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire

TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading

MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler

Special Visual Effects

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams

THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman, Marshall Krasser, Steve Rawlins

IRON MAN – Hal Hickel, Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow

QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

Supporting Actor

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder

BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt

HEATH LEDGER – The Dark Knight

BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading

Orange Rising Star Award

MICHAEL FASSBENDER

TOBY KEBBELL

REBECCA HALL

NOEL CLARKE

MICHAEL CERA

Director

FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Danny Boyle

THE READER – Stephen Daldry

CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood

Leading Actress

ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling

KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I’ve Loved You So Long

MERYL STREEP – Doubt

KATE WINSLET – The Reader

KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road

Leading Actor

FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon

BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire

MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler

SEAN PENN – Milk

Best Film

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin

FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard

MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen

THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson

Short Film

KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni

LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Anthony Minghella, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber

RALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler

SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell

VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

Short Animation

CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod

VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste

WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker

Editing (six nominations due to voting tie)

CHANGELING – Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

THE DARK KNIGHT – Lee Smith

FROST/NIXON – Mike Hill, Dan Hanley

IN BRUGES – Jon Gregory

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens

Animated Film

PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud

WALL•E – Andrew Stanton

WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman

Academy Fellowship

TERRY GILLIAM

Bale Me Up

So there's been this massive furore about Christian Bale's behaviour last year on set of "Terminator: Salvation" flick - I'm not going to re-write the whole saga here as it's all over the place - but both Will Dixon and Trevor B. Cunningham have written very succinct posts on the matter.  As both of the above say, we really don't know any of the circumstances surrounding this outburst so can't presume who was in the 'right' or in the 'wrong'.  

But here's one thing I do know and know well: film sets and TV studios are highly charged places and people lose the plot all the time.  As an actor, you are standing there under hot lights, channelling your brain to the scene ahead,  getting into your zone - with make-up 'rearranging' and wardrobe prodding for the twentieth time in two minutes - then light meters are being waved in your face and tape marks stuck hither and thither, then suddenly, silence descends and it's your time to pull it out of the bag.  You enter your 'deep zone' and the world before you is now from the pages of the script. Then a train whizzes by or the trainee make-up girl drops her brushes with a resounding clatter.

"Cut - that'll do for a rehearsal.." 

Everyone, breathes again, scuttling to alter what seems like every single detail.  Director makes a few points, make-up are back with their powder and brushes, you find your opening mark and go again.  You run a few solid takes here and there.

Then the magic happens. No trains, no clatters, no line fluffs, no stray hairs, no shadows, no masking - pure visual gold - and just as you are 'there' at the end of the scene, some fucker is having a play fight right in your eyeline...to be honest they could just be picking their nose. Same effect.  End of magic. Time to flip.

And that's how easy it is.

I'm off on my Digital Shorts training course for the rest of the week now.  I now know exactly what we'll be doing and I am really looking forward to it - as well as cr*pping myself at the same time.  A bit of edge never did anyone any harm.

I shall report back next week.

Ta-ra.  Onwards.